Fishing enthusiasts consistently face the problem of baits and lures becoming tangled in tackle boxes. Fishing hooks, lures, and various kinds of baits are often made with thin strips of plastic or metal that tend to intertwine with one another, hindering quick retrieval of one piece of equipment from the box. To alleviate this problem, some fishermen divide their tackle boxes into compartments that allow the fishermen to gather similar lures and hooks into a designated section of the container. Within each section of the container, however, lures and hooks still twist around each other and must be manually separated before use.
Previous tackle boxes and containers have been developed in efforts to alleviate the problem of tangled lures and hooks. For example, U.S. Design Patent No. 174,914 (McGee, 1955) shows a bait box in which the interior is divided into compartments by a plurality of straight walls extending between the outer walls of the container. The walls form individual sections in which lures may be placed, but the compartments do little to alleviate the problem of tangling.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,758,977 (Miller, 1973) discloses removable panels mounted inside a tackle box and pivoting around an axis (i.e., the panels may flip up from one end or lie flat on top of each other). The panels have recesses formed on both sides in which the hook of a lure may rest with its points directed downwardly into the recess. The points of the hook may engage the panel to hold the lure therein. The container is designed so that a lure lying in one of the receptacles may also be held in place by an overlying panel pushing against the lure until that overlying panel is flipped in an upward direction. The Miller '977 patent separates the lures into individual compartments but requires the lure hooks to engage the panel for proper operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,557 (Harmon, 1995) shows a storage container that prevents hook entanglements by forming a series of “V” shaped storage members spaced apart within the container. A fishing lure slides within the “V” so that its body rests within the vertex of the V-shaped member. Harmon also provides an opening along the vertex of the member so that when the body of the lure rests within the V-shaped member, the lure hooks fall below the member. The Harmon '557 patent separates the hooks of each lure from one another to prevent tangling. The main drawback of the Harmon container is that removing the lures from the slotted member can be cumbersome.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,079,148 (Yonenoi, 2000) provides a mat with grooves cut into sections of the mat. The hooks of a lure slide within the grooves so that the body of the lure rests on the mat. The hooks of a lure can be squeezed between adjacent sections of the mat. The mat of Yonenoi '148 must be connected to a tackle container by adhesives on its underside, which limits its portability from one container to another.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,610,430 (Neiman, 1952) shows another embodiment of a tackle container in which the hooks of a lure are squeezed between sections of a tackle container insert. The inserts of the Neiman '430 patent are fly holding units made of flat strips or ribbons of material compressed to form curved surfaces with slots between each portion of the ribbon. The hooks of a lure fit within the slots so that the body of the lure rests above the slots. The Neiman '430 patent also requires the hooks to fit between compressed slots of the ribbon material. Tackle containers using this type of structure may actually damage the lures and hooks by this compressive force.
Two other United States patents also show tackle containers having grooved receptacles in which the hooks of a lure slide within slots formed in a portion of the container. The body of the lure rests atop the slots as the hooks hang below. U.S. Pat. No. 2,364,807 (Nelson, 1943) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,606,820 (Suddeth, 1997) each provide a tackle container in which the interior of the container has grooved inserts for sliding the hook of the lure therein. These designs allow little flexibility in the size and types of lures that will securely fit within the container. Lures with hooks that do not hang from the bottom of the lure will not be secure in tackle containers that use this type of structure.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,801,492 (Katwyk, 1954) shows another embodiment of a tackle container in which the lures are separated into individual compartments. The Katwyk '492 patent divides the interior of the tackle container into sections by placing parallel walls therein. The container includes bars running perpendicularly to the interior walls. The hooks of the lure are attached to the bars as the body of the lure rests between two walls within one section of the tackle container. The Katwyk '492 container separates the lures to prevent tangling but only accommodates lures of certain sizes and hook positions.
Thus, there exists a need in the field of tackle containers for a new structure that will hold lures and baits and prevent tangling. The new structure should accommodate lures of varying sizes and hook positions and allow the user to customize the interior configuration of the container.